Cab Drivers

I have another cab driver now who comes and picks me up in the morning occasionally. This person is from Orissa. His family came and settled in Kolkata ages back.He cannot speak Oriya which is his mother tongue and has little or no contact with relatives back in his native village.. Like most bengali drivers he finds cab driving a tough job. He said he wants to become a salaried driver which would give him a regular earning.

This again reminds me of Sharmaji, the man from the hills. I have never seen someone so hardworking as Sharmaji. Everyday he used to leave home at 5 am in the morning and return back after 9 pm in the night. He used to drive like crazy. All his hard earned money was spent on getting his only son educated .He finally did get his son admitted to one of the engineering colleges of Haryana. Since Sharmaji did not carry a mobile I used to speak to his son whenever I had a message for him. His son was very well mannered and spoke good English. His father was chasing a dream which millions of Indians in small towns are chasing now. The bunty babli era is finally taking over.